Field
Embodiments of the inventive concept relate to a method of inspecting etching by-products in a process of manufacturing a semiconductor device, and a method of performing a process of manufacturing a semiconductor device by setting, correcting, and revising process conditions based on the inspected etching by-products.
Description of Related Art
A semiconductor device is manufactured through various processes. For example, a magneto tunnel junction (MTJ) of a magneto-resistive random access memory (MRAM) is formed by a physical etching process such as an ion beam sputtering process, and/or the like. By-products including metallic materials remain on side surfaces of the MTJ as a result of the etching process, causing a malfunction of the MRAM device. Thus, a process of inspecting and analyzing the etching by-products is required. Although the etching by-products may be analyzed using an electron microscope, the etching by-products cannot be easily inspected optically, and thus, a more complex inspecting process is required, which results in degraded productivity in the manufacturing process.